The Trade Federation controls many of the galactic trade routes within the republic and charges independent traders and planetary governments a fee for use of the trade routes under it's control, these taxes are used by Darth Sidious to motivate the Trade Federation into blockading the planet. By pushing the Trade Federation into escalating the blockade to a full scale invasion, the dark lord of the sith, (having carefully orchestrated the escape of Queen Amidala of Naboo to Coruscant), presses the Queen into calling for a vote of "no confidence" in the Senate's Supreme Chancellor Valorum due to his hesitance to immediatley have the Trade Federation call off the invasion. This causes the Senate to vote for a new Chancellor, and heads Senator Palpatine (Darth Sidious) off on his rise to power and the creation of the Empire.